Liverpool may soon be on the hunt for a new starting goalkeeper as Alisson Becker’s contract ticks towards its final six months.

Alisson was brilliant against Crystal Palace on Sunday, but there have been signs that the Brazilian is not quite at his old level, with the feeling that next summer could be a natural ending point for his time with the Reds.

Liverpool are big fans of Bart Verbruggen

Verbruggen has been part of the Premier League’s most impressive team this season, excelling with a Brighton side who have shot to second place in the table.

After spending his first year with the Seagulls in and out of the team, the 24-year-old has been a key player for Fabian Hurzeler ever since the manager’s arrival in 2024, and according to Lynch, Liverpool had their eyes on Verbruggen even before he joined Brighton.

“They’ve got a big decision to make over the next few months in terms of whether they go and make that move, so it’s up to Mamardashvili to convince, and I don’t think he quite has,” said the reporter, after claiming that Alisson is likely to leave.

“With Bart Verbruggen, what I can say with confidence is that I know for a fact Liverpool were tracking him prior to his move to Brighton. He only has one year left on his deal [next summer], so that feels a very doable deal for a player that they liked.

“So if they decide that Mamardashvili is not ready and not one they want to give that number one jersey to, then I would expect him to move on and someone like Verbruggen to be brought in.

“It’s interesting he’s only got one year left on his deal because he’s a player that they’ve tracked for a long time and he’s done fairly well at Brighton as well. That’s one that I would say keep an eye on, definitely.”

Would Verbruggen be a good Alisson replacement?

If Liverpool are to go for a Premier League-proven goalkeeper to slot into Alisson’s empty gloves, then Verbruggen would surely be the best choice.

Still only 24, the Dutchman has already amassed more than 100 Premier League appearances, and is now established as the No. 1 for the Netherlands national team.

Impressively, Verbruggen has conceded only seven goals from an xGOT of 10.63 in the league this season, suggesting he has led in almost four goals fewer than the statistics suggest he should have. Alisson, meanwhile, has overperformed as well, letting in 10 from an xGOT of 11.56.

Verbruggen has one of the best save percentages in the Premier League, stopping 78.8% of shots on target, compared to Alisson’s 71.4%, while he also tops the division in terms of clean sheets, having not been beaten in seven of Brighton’s 10 matches so far.

Where there are concerns over both Alisson and Mamardashvili in terms of kicking, the Netherlands international is a standout goalkeeper in that respect, completing over 300 passes this season – 104 more than Alisson. His pass success ratio of 77.4% is a Premier League high, as is his long-ball success rate of 48.5%.

In short, it is easy to see why Liverpool would have Verbruggen down as a potential gold-standard Alisson replacement, and with the former Anderlecht man having just one year to run on his contract, this could line up perfectly for the Reds.